


Sweet Hatred

by sassysmith19 (sassysas19119)



Series: Sweet Love AU [1]
Category: Super Junior, VIXX
Genre: Biting, Blood, Blood Drinking, Fighting, Gay, Hakchul, Heechul/Hakyeon, M/M, N/Heechul, Sex, Vampires, sweet venom au, vamp au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-21 01:28:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9525602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassysas19119/pseuds/sassysmith19
Summary: "The moon is my sunThe night is my dayBlood is my lifeand you are my prey."





	1. burn me

Heechul remembered the first time he had laid eyes on Hakyeon. He hadn’t known his name, back then, had only seen his face, and heard the whispers, the rumors of _monster_ , but that in itself had been enough to capture Heechul’s attention. The man had come into town, all darkness and smooth features, alone, assuring the Council, and their leader, that he meant no harm, but that hadn’t exactly meant anything to anyone. They were wary, Heechul knew, because they had a sneaking suspicion as to what he truly was, beneath that human exterior. Not that that would dissuade Heechul; in fact, that warning from his parents, his peers, everyone, only made him want to know more, about who this man was, where he had come from, and why he was here.

He hadn’t had a chance, before the incident happened. The others had arrived, others who were so very similar, with one exception. Clearly they meant harm, and Hakyeon had sided with them, and the townspeople hadn’t liked that. So there had been a standoff, of course there had been, but before it could ever really start, Heechul had stepped forward, stepped in between the two leaders, facing away from the humans, and into Hakyeon’s eyes.

“You won’t.” Hakyeon had laughed quietly, smiling, eyes filled with genuine glee. He was arrogant. “You won’t.”

“Really?” Heechul had nodded once, stubborn. Hakyeon’s smiled had widened, showing canines, and Heechul very suddenly realized that he might not be able to fight this…man? Person. “You really think so, little one? You think I’ll listen to _you_?”

Heechul had inhaled, quick, angry, nostrils flaring. “I don’t think so. I _know_.” He paused. “They’ve done nothing to hurt you. Your friends threatened them. They’re only defending themselves, and you know that if we all die, the hunters will kill you.”

Hakyeon’s smile had fallen, then, before it transformed into something far more sinister. “Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps, little one, I’ll let you live. Perhaps I’ll wait, until _you_ wrong me, and I have every reason to attack.” A long silence. Heechul swallowed his fear. “Yes, I do believe I’ll wait for that.” Without another word, he had turned away, signaling something to the others, and they vanished from sight.

Heechul hadn’t relaxed, even late that night. With good reason, he later found out, when he was about to climb into bed, and Hakyeon had literally appeared outside of his window, tapping gently on the glass. “Let me in, little one.” Heechul had shaken his head quickly, but after a few more moments of persistence, he had yielded.

That had been a mistake. Hakyeon had taken advantage of the fact that his hand slid outside of the window, and yanked him forward, until their noses were an inch apart. “Invite me in.” Heechul had shaken his head, quickly, trembling. “Invite me in, or I’ll make you invite me, and then, little one, I’ll be most upset. You don’t want to see me angry, do you?”

A soft sound left Heechul’s lips, and he had crumbled underneath the pressure. “Fine, fine, you can come in.”

“Good boy.” Carefully, Hakyeon had returned Heechul to the indoors, and then followed, herding him backwards, against a wall. Heechul sensed the change almost immediately, shying away from the look in Hakyeon’s eyes. “You have some nerve, you know that? You think you can just tell me what I can and cannot do? You think you can _control_ me? I’m a _vampire_ , and I will not be controlled by a _human_.”

Heechul whined quietly, looked away from Hakyeon quickly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again, I promise, I won’t-”

Hakyeon had slapped him, then, and that movement had sent Heechul flying across the room. He had collapsed against the bed, head knocking into the bedframe, and drawing blood. Hakyeon had come forward, shoulders tense with rage, and Heechul had whimpered, curled away from him, but he didn’t seem remotely bothered by the blood. “I should kill you.” Heechul made a quiet noise, in his throat. “I should, but I won’t. But if you so much as _look_ at me the wrong way again, little one, I won’t hesitate to tear your head from your shoulders, right then and there, regardless of how many people are around, am I understood?”

Heechul nodded quickly. “Yes, yes, yes, I understand, I’m so sorry-”

Hakyeon had silenced him with a look, and then crouched beside Heechul, leaned forward, before licking a line over the wound on his head. Heechul whined softly, hands clenching into fists, as Hakyeon had moved him, pulled and nudged him into a better position, before he bit down on his own palm, and held it to Heechul’s mouth. “I’m giving you something that’s mine, and I _expect_ you to take care of my things. I also expect you to thank me, when you’re done, or I’ll be very angry with you.” Heechul had nodded, as much as he could, didn’t pull away from Hakyeon’s hand for a solid minute, before Hakyeon pulled it away himself.

Heechul had gasped, as the wound had started to close, and then looked up at Hakyeon, who had raised an eyebrow. “I…thank you.”

“Good boy.” Hakyeon had nosed along his cheekbone, up into his hair. After a moment, Heechul recognized what he was doing, from a book he had read back in school. Hakyeon was scenting him, warding off other vampires. “This is mine, now. Mine to do with as I please, and I expect that you take care of it for me. If you let my property get damaged, little one, I’ll be furious. I’d hate to see you on the receiving end of that.”

“I’ll be good.”

Hakyeon had smiled down on him, and Heechul had felt so horribly looked down upon, like he was a toy, and Hakyeon thought he was worth less than dirt. “Oh, I know.”

Without another word, comment, remark, he vanished.

***

Heechul hadn’t slept easy after that, and for days on end, he couldn’t get Hakyeon out of his head, couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched, constantly. It made it really hard to go outside, ever, and so he had hesitated to do so, for a while, before he finally got up the nerve.

It had been a mistake. Not half an hour later, he ran into some vampires, vampires who weren’t exactly…well, friendly. They had followed him, for about five minutes, before they had stepped out of the shadows, surrounding him, trapping him in place. “Hello, little human. What’s your name?”

Heechul didn’t answer, and one of the other vampires had spoken for him. “He’s the one who stopped Hakyeon from killing the humans.” Soft words, from the others. “Shall we kill him, then?”

One of them laughed quietly. “He stopped us from getting our meal. Let’s make him pay.” And then there were hands on Heechul’s arms, yanking him backwards, bruising and painful. He shrieked, squirming, but the grip on him only tightened, as more hands were added, fingernails biting into skin, drawing blood. A pair of fangs got close to his neck, and he screamed, fighting harder now, even when he felt pain shoot up his arm. Something had broken, he was almost sure of it. “Shut him up, would you?” A hand sealed over Heechul’s mouth, and he bit down, pulling more blood to the surface. “Kill him. He fights too much.”

Heechul growled, struggled, but, when he felt something else break, fell still, closed his eyes, resigned to his face, waiting for it to happen.

It didn’t.

Before Heechul knew what was happening, the hands on his body were gone, and all he could hear was choked noises. Soon, even that cut off, and he could hear harsh voices. “He’s _human_ , he’s weak, he tried to stop us, Hakyeon, we can’t let him _live_ , that goes against everything in our nature-”

“This one is also _mine_ , you can smell that, you stupid asshole, and we’ve discussed this, you don’t touch things that belong to _me_.” A short scream, which cut off within seconds, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that he had been killed. And then there were hands, pulling Heechul to his feet, tilting his head one way, then the other, a careful examination. When it reached his fingers, a broken gasp was heard, and Heechul opened his eyes, finding Hakyeon gazing at his hands. Two fingers were broken, and after a moment, he realized that Hakyeon was snarling. Heechul whined quietly, and then Hakyeon fell silent, a strange look on his face. “I’m taking you home.” He slid a hand around Heechul’s waist, and pulled him down the street.

Hakyeon almost literally threw Heechul onto the bed, crawled up after him. “Open your mouth.” Heechul obeyed, still whining quietly, as he watched Hakyeon bite down on his hand, and then hold it out. Heechul leaned forward, bit down, and leaned against Hakyeon, breathing heavily. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you. No one touches what’s mine and gets away with it. I don’t like it when people touch my things.”

Heechul pulled backwards, just enough to speak. “I understand.” His voice was soft, shaky with tears. “I’ll be good.” He leaned forward, sucking gently at Hakyeon’s hand, as the vampire nuzzled in his hair. Scenting, again. “If this happens again, if anything like this happens again, I’ll bite you. That’ll keep them away.” Heechul whimpered quietly. “No, you don’t want that? Then you’d best pray that no one decides to fuck with you.”

***

Heechul wasn’t completely surprised to see Hakyeon in his bedroom. “Why are you here?” Hakyeon gazed up at him, and then held out his hand. After a moment, Heechul mirrored the movement, and Hakyeon grabbed his hand, held it up to examine his fingers.

“You’ve healed.” It was an observation, that Heechul didn’t think needed a response. “The vampires who picked that fight have been taken care of.” _Exterminated, you mean. The bad apples have been picked out and thrown away. The vampires who won’t obey your every command have been eliminated from your following_. Heechul had figured out Hakyeon, had figured out why he treated Heechul the way he did. It was all about power – he had to prove that he was better, better than the humans, better than the other vampires. “If you thought that I’d let you walk free after this, without any supervision, you were wrong. Nobody fucks with my property.”

“Do you think I’m stupid? You think I didn’t know that?”

“Don’t talk back to me.” Heechul closed his mouth quickly, looked away. “There’ll be someone watching you at all times. Don’t be alarmed by it.” Without another word, he flitted away, leaving Heechul alone.


	2. love bites

Heechul picked up on it quickly, the way vampires moved, acted, especially when he was around them. Every vampire he walked past on the street turned to stare at him, and whenever he caught their gaze, he’d flush, and turn away quickly. They could smell Hakyeon on him, he knew that, but he was also fairly certain that for vampires, scenting was traditionally done on humans that a vampire intended to turn, bite, claim. That was what made him blush; the fact that he knew that that would be the first thing to pop onto their heads.

He could feel Hakyeon’s eyes on him, every time he left the house – which wasn’t often, these days; it had gotten cold, started to snow. When it had started, he had felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, but after about a month, it had become…not normal, but the pressure had certainly become much easier to ignore. He could have a normal day, now, without constantly feeling hunted. He knew, now, that this was what prey felt like. Every once and a while, he’d wake up in the middle of the night, not knowing why, until he realized that that pressure had lifted. Hakyeon certainly been keeping an eye on him, then, even when he was asleep, even when he was safe, in his house.

Vampires wouldn’t be killed by the sun, but it wasn’t exactly their greatest friend either. Hakyeon had explained it to him, the last time he had checked in with Heechul, to scent him again; the sun hindered them, absolutely – their supernatural strength, speed, healing was rendered absolutely useless – but they weren’t weak and they couldn’t die. They essentially became human, under the sun, and Heechul could understand, of course, now, why they didn’t go out in the sunlight – it made them weak, and vampires couldn’t be _weak_.

“Hakyeon?”

The vampire appeared outside of his window in seconds, eyes glistening in the moonlight. “Good evening, princess. What can I do for you today?”

Heechul glanced over his shoulder, and then motioned Hakyeon inside. The vampire rolled his eyes, but climbed inside, shutting the window behind him, and then turning to look at Heechul. “I…I have a question for you.” Hakyeon nodded once, stepped closer. “Why didn’t you kill me?”

Hakyeon smirked, canines looking especially scary today. “Oh, princess, are you scared?” Heechul looked away quickly. “Mm, you’re adorable.” He backed Heechul into the wall, one hand on either side of his head, boxing the human in place. “It’s power, princess.”

Heechul nodded once, avoiding Hakyeon’s gaze. “You can leave now.” Hakyeon raised an eyebrow, leaned forward, their noises a hair apart, and he bared his teeth. “I-”

“You don’t tell me what to do.” Heechul nodded quickly, trying to shrink back into the wall. “Shall I remind you what I’m capable of doing? Shall I remind you of how easily I can hurt you?” Heechul shook his head quickly, whining quietly in his throat. “Mm, I think it might do you some good. Might remind you who’s the more powerful being in this room.” Heechul whimpered, fingers clenching into fists. “Might teach you a thing or two about respect.”

Hakyeon nosed gently along Heechul’s jaw, teeth dragging gently along his skin. Heechul shuddered, tried to pull back, but found himself quite incapable. A gentle bite, on the shell of Heechul’s ear, and then he pulled back, just enough to look Heechul in the eyes. “But I’m inclined to believe that you’re smart enough to realize what’s going to happen if you, my princess, ever think that you have any power over me.” Heechul nodded quickly, and Hakyeon pressed forward, again, mouthing at Heechul’s collarbone, before he bit down, drawing blood. Heechul hissed, a soft whine in his throat, squirming, but Hakyeon held him still. “Shush. This will keep my property safe.” Heechul made a soft noise. “It’ll fade, in two or three days. If I had really claimed you, you’d be wearing that mark for two weeks.” He released Heechul, spun on his heel, and walked back towards the window. “I’ll be in touch, princess.”

***

He had worn that bite for one day, before he was attacked again. This time, the vampires hadn’t hesitated, had sunk their fangs into his skin within seconds, not caring whether or not he screamed. He had thrashed, fought, but before long, he had lost too much blood, had fallen limp in their arms. Hakyeon had ripped them away, torn them apart, until he had destroyed each and every one of them, and was holding Heechul with one arm. “You stupid human. I warned you, about going out after dark.” Regardless, he pulled Heechul down the street, past Heechul’s house, but the human was in no shape to complain. He couldn’t really tell, where they were going, couldn’t focus, not until Hakyeon set him down, hovering over him. “Look at me.” Heechul shook his head quickly, but Hakyeon grabbed his jaw, turned his face. “Look me in the eyes.” After a moment, Heechul obeyed. “Breath for me. Calm down. I’m trying to help you.” After a moment, Heechul’s pupils blew out wide, dark and glistening. Carefully, Hakyeon helped him into a seated position, and bit down on his hand, offering it to Heechul. The human didn’t hesitate to bite.

When Heechul pulled back, he turned his face into Hakyeon’s neck, breathing hard. He was trembling, shaking, in Hakyeon’s grip, mouth forming a silent plea on Hakyeon’s throat, before it turned audible. “Please, please, oh, please-”

“Tell me.”

“Please, will you turn me?”

That question seemed to shock Hakyeon into silence. After a moment, he pushed Heechul away, eyes narrow. “Why would I?”

Heechul looked confused, lost, eyes wide, pupils still wide. “Because, I-” He shook his head quickly, ran a hand through his hair. “ _Hakyeon_ -”

Fingers found his arms, tight and bruising and stubborn. “Why? Tell me why, Heechul, or so help me, I won’t turn you, won’t speak to you, ever again.”

Heechul whined, turned away. “But I want-”

“Oh, princess.” That silenced Heechul. “You’ve fallen in love, haven’t you?” A long silence. Heechul didn’t answer, but the look in his eyes was answer enough. “You’ve fallen in love with me, silly boy, and now you don’t know how to handle it.” A long, quiet, moment, and then Heechul nodded slowly. “I’m taking you home.” He pulled Heechul to his feet, and then pulled him out of the building, and into the street. Heechul whined, pressed against Hakyeon’s side, clinging to his arm. When they reached Heechul’s home, Hakyeon released him, helped him through the window. “Look me in the eyes.”

“No.” Hakyeon growled, but Heechul clenched his jaw. “You’re going to make me forget, and I don’t _want_ to.”

Heechul sighed. “Fine. Fine. Torture yourself if you want. Hurt yourself, every day, because you know that I’m not going to do it. You know that I don’t love you.” Without another word, he was gone.


	3. gamble

It hadn’t taken Heechul long to find another vampire. He knew, now, how to spot them, how to get their attention, and a fingernail, dug far enough into his wrist to draw blood, had been just enough to get this one to step off the street, and into an alleyway, and then he had pinned the vampire to the ground, fingernails drawing blood from the vampire’s forearms. “I’ll let you go, I’ll let you feed, if you answer a question for me.” The vampire thrashed, trying to throw Heechul off of his back, but the sun hindered him, held him down. “Stay still.” He punctuated the command with a hard squeeze, and the vampire squawked quietly, fell still.

“Wh-what do you want from me?”

In that moment, Heechul understood how Hakyeon had gotten addicted to the power. It was intoxicating, to feel, hear, someone yield, to know that they knew that they were weaker. “Tell me where Hakyeon is.” The vampire shook his head, slow and hesitant. “Oh, little vampire, you think you can fight me?” Another shake of his head. “Then answer me. Where can I find Hakyeon?”

“Who’s asking?”

“Not that it’s your business, but my name is Heechul.” His grip tightened, and the vampire let out a quiet keening noise. “Where’s Hakyeon?”

“Why do you need to know?”

Heechul growled, right in the vampire’s ear, dragged his fingernails down the vampire’s arm, leaving red lines in their wake. “That’s enough questions, from you. You’re going to tell me where he is, and if you don’t, then I’ll kill you, and find someone else. In the end, one of two things happen; I go to him, or he comes to me. Poor little Hakyeon probably wouldn’t appreciate it if his vampires just started vanishing off the face of the earth.”

The vampire went limp, trembling. “I…no.” Heechul didn’t respond. “Out West, there’s a castle. That’s…that’s where he lives.” The vampire paused. “But there’s tight security, you won’t be able to get in.”

Heechul rolled his eyes, released the vampire. “That’s fine.” He got to his feet, and walked away, leaving the vampire alone.

When he got home, he shut the door to his bedroom tightly, and locked it. He closed the window, pulled the curtains over it, and then slipped into his closet. Carefully, he pushed clothes out of the way, and pulled a box from a hidden shelf, crouched down on the floor. He pulled four items out, put them on the floor, and pushed the box out of the way.

With great precision, he drew a triangle on the floor, with a charcoal pencil. After a moment, it ignited, a soft white flame rising about two inches from the floor. Taking care not to touch the fire, he lowered a bowl into the center, and dropped a few dried leaves into it. Finally, he picked up the knife laying at his side, and laid the blade across his palm, a quiet, shaky breath leaving his lips. He pressed the blade into his skin, drew blood, and allowed it to drip, drop by drop, into the bowl, speaking quietly as he did so. “ _Sanguinem tuum invenies eum ut illum tangerent, erue eum ducere_.”

After a moment, the fire rose, rapidly, and he pulled his hand back, reaching quickly for the blanket on the floor beside him, to stop the blood flow. Within seconds, the fire had died, and both the blood, and the leaves, had vanished.

Heechul released a breath that he hadn’t realized he had been holding, and quickly put everything back into the box, returning it to where it belonged. He made his way out into his bedroom, and then froze, when he spotted Hakyeon, leaning against the wall, looking very, _very_ angry.

“I can explain-”

“I told you,” Hakyeon spoke quietly, as he came forward, gaze predatory. “to take care of what was mine.” Heechul nodded quickly, backing up into the closed door, handle digging into his spine. “And I warned you about what would happen if you didn’t. I warned you about what would happen if you hurt what was mine. I told you, you stupid animal, that I would hurt you, if I had to.” Heechul was trembling, frozen in place. He didn’t move from his spot, even when Hakyeon’s hands found his shoulders. “I _told_ you, the first time you asked, that I wouldn’t. And the second time, with your stupid bet, and last time, Heechul. You’re too afraid to go through with this, stop trying to convince me otherwise. I know you, I can see it, I see right through your little act. You’re terrified.” Heechul let out a quiet whine. “I will not turn someone who is as weak as you are. I will not turn someone who resorts to petty witchcraft to try and convince me to do what he wants. I won’t yield to _you_.”

Heechul whimpered quietly, reached out to cling to Hakyeon, but his hands were batted away. “Don’t ever try to summon me again, don’t ever kidnap my vampires again, don’t ever threaten them, don’t ever come looking for me, because I don’t want to see you, am I understood?”

“That’s a lie.”

“No.” Hakyeon paused, sniffed along Heechul’s hairline. “It’s not.” Without another word, he vanished.

***

Heechul hadn’t cried, not once, not until tonight. He had woken up, early, too early, pillow damp with tears, a lump in his throat. He had turned his face into the mattress, tried to force himself not to think about it, but ultimately, failed. He found himself gazing at the window, but he didn’t say anything, even though he knew he could have. He simply stayed there, drowning in his own feelings, waiting for something, anything, to happen.

After about an hour, he pushed himself to his feet, and walked slowly towards the window, pulled apart the curtains. It was dark, still, the moon high in the sky, mist hanging low over the land. Carefully, he opened the window, slipped outside. It wasn’t as cold as he had expected, as he crossed the grass, and walked to the small creek, not far from his home. He stopped there, knelt down, and stared into the water, biting down on his lower lip. He hated himself, so much, hated everything he was feeling right now. Betrayal, anger, hatred…he didn’t want to feel any of it.

He put a hand on the ground, fingers digging into the dirt, trying to swallow more tears, but that didn’t work. They fell, obscuring his vision, as he tried not to sob out loud, shaking hard where he sat.

“What is it with you _humans_ , and not being able to take _no_ as an answer?” Heechul jumped, when he heard Hakyeon speak, fell backwards, but then the vampire was there, stopping him from hitting his head on the ground. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you that you can’t get everything that you want?” He pulled Heechul up, into a seated position, and that time, the human did sob, pressed his face into Hakyeon’s shoulder.

“Why do you want to be a vampire so badly anyways, Heechul?”

Heechul hiccupped, swallowed, tried to focus on what Hakyeon was saying. “I…I…Hakyeon, I just _can’t_. I can’t do this anymore, and I know that you think it’s only because I’m in love you with, and while that’s certainly part of it, I just _can’t_ be human anymore, this isn’t what I want from my life, I don’t want to be trapped here for the rest of forever, I don’t want to die here, I don’t want this.” He was rambling, he knew, but he couldn’t stop himself. “All my life, this town has been everything I’ve known. I grew up, being taught that this was where I’d be forever, that I’d live and die around the same people, but I can’t live like that, I can’t do that to myself.” Hakyeon’s arms made their way around Heechul’s waist. “You know, deep down, I think you love me too.” Hakyeon went still, frozen underneath Heechul. “You do, don’t you? You love me.”

Hakyeon let out a quiet breath, turned his face into Heechul’s hair. “It’s your birthday.”

“Yes.”

Hakyeon threaded his fingers into Heechul’s hair, tugged gently, pulling Heechul back enough so their gazes could meet. “Oh, sweet little human. You’re always so desperate, aren’t you?” Heechul whined softly. “You want to turn?” A quick nod, from Heechul. “It’s going to hurt. It’s going to hurt so badly, do you really think you can take it?”

“Yes, yes, I can, Hakyeon, _please_.”

“Mm, you smell lovely.” Hakyeon sniffed gently along Heechul’s jaw, throat, mouthed at his cheek, before he spoke again. “You sliced your own hand open, to summon me.” Heechul nodded slowly. “You hurt yourself. You know I told you not to do that.” Heechul nodded again. “Ah.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, so sorry, please-”  


“Heechul, focus. On me.” Heechul took a deep breath, raised a hand to wipe away his tears, eyes on Hakyeon. “Close your eyes, and take a deep breath.”


	4. falling

There had been darkness, before he had woken, but he hadn’t screamed, had bit back any noise that might have passed his lips. He had asked for this, he had no reason to scream. When he woke, it had been dark, yes, but he had been able to pick up on light that hadn’t been there before, every detail sharp and defined, he could hear everything. He didn’t move, not until he heard the door open, and then he rolled onto his side, biting back a whine as he inhaled, and his throat burned. And then there were hands on his arms, a warm body pressing against his own, mouth covering his. “Oh, darling.”

A quiet whine left his lips, as he arched, trying to press closer. “Hurts.” A quiet hum, and then there were hands on his thighs. “Make it stop, it _hurts_.”

“Shh, Heechul, I’ll take care of you.” A louder whine, as he was pulled into a seated position, and then his mouth was on the other’s neck. “Go on, pretty boy, bite me.” Heechul obeyed, fangs sinking through skin, pulling blood to the surface. “Ah, good boy. You’re so good, aren’t you, my pretty little Heechul.” Another whine, and then Heechul pulled backwards. He gazed at the vampire in front of him for a long time, before leaned forward, and pressed a kiss to his mouth, pushing him back onto the bed. “Mm, missed this.” Heechul rolled his hips. “Ah, good boy.” That phrase drew a whimper from Heechul’s lips. “You’re so beautiful.”

Heechul flushed, looked away, but Hakyeon simply grabbed his chin, turned him back so their eyes could meet. “Kiss me.” Heechul obeyed, arms winding around Hakyeon’s neck, pressing closer than before. “My beautiful little vampire.” A long silence, and Heechul pulled back, to look at Hakyeon once more. “I’m going to have you, claim you, in every way possible.”

***

It hadn’t occurred to Heechul that Hakyeon was going to use him; that there were going to be consequences for his desperate pleas.

Not that their relationship didn’t have benefits; it’s just that there were, on any given day, more bad sides than there were good.

Today was a good example. Heechul had woken up early, only to have Hakyeon drag him out of bed, and push him against a wall, fingers tight and bruising on his waist, mouth on his shoulder. But not ten minutes later, Hakyeon had had Heechul outside, instructions hissed in his ear. He was hunting, for hunters, because one of them had been bothering Hakyeon’s vampires.

It hadn’t taken Heechul long to find the hunters they were looking for, but disposing of them quickly became a problem. Heechul had been expecting to take out one or two vampires, not twelve. But he couldn’t exactly turn back now, Hakyeon would kill him. He had pulled back, out of sight, into the shadows, deciding to wait until the hunters separated themselves.

The first two had fallen with their throats swelling shut, cutting off their breath. The third had gone down when Heechul had thrown him into a wall, and the fourth had dropped dead with Heechul’s hand around his throat.

It hadn’t taken long for the hunters to figure out was happening, but it was too late. Heechul tore through the building, killing anyone who got in his way. When it came to the last two hunters, one of them had tried to run. That had triggered something, some instinct, inside of Heechul, and before he knew what was happening, he had his fangs buried in the hunter’s throat. When he turned back towards the final hunter, he had drawn his stake, but Heechul wasn’t focused on that. He was seeing red, and within seconds, had the hunter in his grip, head yanked backwards to reveal his throat. “I’ll kill you.” The hunter growled at him. “I want you to apologize.”

“What _for_?”

Heechul chuckled. “I think you know.” The hunter shook his quickly, but Heechul could feel his heart beating, fast, too fast for him to be telling the truth. “Your people attacked my maker. That’s unacceptable.”

A whine made its way out of his throat. “It wasn’t me, I swear-”

“Do I look like I care?” A long silence, and the hunter shook his head. “Please apologize. If you do, I’ll make it quick. If you don’t, little hunter, I’ll have to make it _hurt_.” Heechul sounded genuinely apologetic about that being a possibility. He nosed along the hunter’s hairline, and down onto his jaw. “Oh, little hunter, I don’t want to have to hurt you.”

“You’re a vampire, that’s what you _do_.” Heechul snarled, fingernails digging into the hunter’s arms, drawing blood. “Ow, ow, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Heechul loosened his grip, went back to nuzzling at the hunter’s skin. “I’m sorry, please, don’t hurt me, please-“ He was silenced when Heechul snapped his head to the side, breaking his neck.

When Heechul got home, Hakyeon had both seen and smelled the blood on him. He had yanked Heechul aside, into his office, growling low in his throat. “I thought I told you, _quick and clean_. So why do you reek of blood?”

Heechul growled back at him, fangs bared. “You also told me that there’d be three hunters, at most. There were twelve, Hakyeon, _twelve_!” Heechul pulled out of Hakyeon’s grip, glared at him, breathing hard.

Hakyeon pressed his lips together in thought. “I was not aware of that.” A long silence. “Oh, princess, were you scared?” Heechul sniffed delicately, didn’t respond. “You almost died, didn’t you?” A quick shake, of Heechul’s head. “Little one, if you hadn’t killed them, they would have killed you. You did what you had to do, you did what you were told.”

“He apologized, he begged me not to hurt him, and then I killed him, Hakyeon!” Heechul was shaking, trembling, and when Hakyeon stepped forward, he backed up, quickly, until he was stopped by the door, handle digging into his spine. “I killed all of them.”

“I know. I know, little one.” Hakyeon placed a hand on either side of Heechul’s head, caging him in place. “I’m proud of you. You did exactly as I asked.” Heechul shook his head quickly, trying to swallow his tears. “Look at me, Heechul.” After a moment, Heechul obeyed, eyes finding Hakyeon’s gaze. “I know it hurts, inside. I know you wish you hadn’t, trust me, princess, I know. But you know, little one, you know that if you hadn’t, if they were still alive, not only would they have killed you, but they would have killed every single one of us, in time. You’ve saved us, you know.” Heechul shook his head quickly, and then Hakyeon moved, took Heechul’s jaw in his hand, forced his head back to expose his throat. Heechul whined, whimpering, soft noises of submission falling from his lips. “When I tell you that you’ve done something well, little one, you say _thank you_ , and then you move on. Your pain, princess, stays inside. If it doesn’t, if other people see it, you’re weak. If you keep it inside, you can use it, but if you let it out, it can only hurt you.” Heechul whined again, squirming. “Do you understand me?”

“Yes, yes, I do, please, I’m sorry.”

Hakyeon shushed him, released his jaw, hands finding his hips. “Remember, pain inside.”

“Yes.”

***

Hakyeon had made him a warrior.

It had taken Heechul about a month to realize that, that his maker was forging a monster, out of him. It had to occurred to him one day, that that first day, the first time he had killed a human, had been the greatest struggle, and that no matter how many he had killed since, it never hurt that bad, and after a while – human 60 or so – he had stopped feeling anything when he killed them. They didn’t matter, that much he knew – they were either a threat, in the case of a hunter, or food. And in the grand scale of things, there were thousands, millions, billions of them in the world; they were, in the end, replaceable.

Replaceable. Just like Heechul had been, back when he was human, before Hakyeon had turned him. But now…now, he was inclined to believe that if he died, Hakyeon would struggle to replace him. Heechul was everything that Hakyeon had wanted in a child, a lover, an heir. Not that he needed an heir – which he constantly reminded Heechul of, whenever he was threatening his child – but at the same time, he liked to parade Hakyeon around. Not that it worried Heechul – he knew he was pretty, and he liked the way the other vampires stared at him.

“Heechul.” The vampire’s head snapped up, from where he was speaking to a young female vampire. Hakyeon’s eyes were heavy on him, and he knew that look, knew it all too well. “Come here.” Quickly, Heechul excused himself, and walked towards Hakyeon. That look, that tone, weren’t good signs, and they very quickly had Heechul worried. He came to a halt beside Hakyeon. “You look very nice tonight, princess.” Heechul nodded his silent thanks, before Hakyeon spoke again. “I need you to run an errand for me, little one.” Heechul raised an eyebrow. “The hunters have sent a patrol to the border. Take some of the others with you, but no more than four.” Heechul nodded quickly, and then, within seconds, had vanished.


	5. flight

Heechul had met Ryeowook when he had taken down a particularly stubborn coalition of hunters. He had been taken, as bait, to try and get another hunter to yield to their wishes, but that plan hadn’t been able to be fully enacted before Heechul had gotten to them, had ripped them all apart, before he had turned on Ryeowook. The human had been curled up in a corner, shaking and whimpering, and within seconds, Heechul had realized that he wasn’t a threat, that he wasn’t going to hurt anyone. He was human, but he wasn’t a hunter, and Heechul was very much inclined to let him go, but he could hardly do that, not after the human had seen what Heechul had done. So he had brought him home, crying, clinging, praying that Hakyeon was in a good mood.

He got lucky. Hakyeon had given him a rather exasperated look, as he led Ryeowook up the stairs, and into his bedroom. Ryeowook had clung to him, nuzzling into his neck, until he had fallen asleep, and Heechul had slipped out of the room. Hakyeon was waiting for him, and almost as soon as Heechul had closed the door, he was being dragged down the hallway, squirming in Hakyeon’s grip. “You took care of the hunters?” Heechul nodded quickly, still struggling. “And this human? Have you brought home a snack, or are you going to play with him?”

“I want to turn him.”

That seemed to shock Hakyeon into silence. He gazed at Heechul for a long moment, eyes wide. “You want to _turn_ him?”

“I do.” Heechul took a deep breath, squared his shoulders. “His mind is…pretty. And he’s pretty too.” Hakyeon looked critical, of that particular statement. Heechul stepped closer, spoke softly in Hakyeon’s ear, hands touching gently at his clothes. “Please can I? I want him, Hakyeon, please-”

“I won’t let you turn him.” Heechul opened his mouth to protest, but Hakyeon cut him off. “You’re too young, you’d kill him. I’ll do it. When he’s ready, I’ll turn him for you. If he means that much to you, princess. If that will make you happy.”

Heechul let out a quiet sigh of relief, and then slid his arms around Hakyeon’s waist, pressing his face into his neck. “Thank you.” Hakyeon hummed softly, one hand resting on Heechul’s hip. “I love you.”

“I know.”

***

When Ryeowook came to, he was in Heechul’s arms. He made a quiet noise in his throat, pressed closer, but within seconds he was yanked backwards, against someone’s back. He whimpered, squirmed, but the vampire – ah, he remembered now, what had happened – held him still. “Sh, little one, hush, I’m not going to hurt you. I want to help you, darling, just relax and let me help you.” Ryeowook sobbed quietly, still trying to break out of the vampire’s grip. “Heechul, come over here and help me.” Within seconds, Heechul’s hands were on Ryeowook’s arms, holding him in place, before pressing a kiss to his nose. Ryeowook went still, and then relaxed, as Heechul nuzzled against his cheek, murmuring soft praise under his breath. “There you go, little one, just relax.” The vampire pressed a kiss to Ryeowook’s shoulder. “Heechul, d’you want him to bite you, or me?”

“Not me.”

With gentle hands, Ryeowook was turned around, and he curled closer to the vampire holding him. “Go on, little one, let’s see you put those fangs to good use.”

“But-”

Heechul’s hands tightened in warning on his waist, and Ryeowook fell silent. He leaned forward, nosed along the jawline of the vampire in front of him. After a moment, his fangs slid free, and he bit down, drawing blood. A quiet gasp fled the vampire’s lips, and then Heechul released him, pressed a gentle kiss to Ryeowook’s shoulder. “Good. Good boy.”

Hakyeon made a thoughtful noise in his throat, and then ran his hand down Ryeowook’s face. The younger vampire shuddered, a soft whine coming from his lips, and he pressed impossibly closer, fingers fisting in Hakyeon’s shirt. “Oh, I do like his mind, Heechul.” Ryeowook made a pleased noise as he pulled backwards, grinning at Hakyeon. The elder slid a hand underneath Ryeowook’s jaw, pressed a kiss to his mouth. “You’re so sweet.” Ryeowook smiled, nosed at Hakyeon’s face, up into his hair. “Yes, I think we can keep him.” Ryeowook laughed quietly, then looked quickly over his shoulder at Heechul. “Go on.” Ryeowook turned, clambered into Heechul’s lap, kissed him hard on the mouth, before he leaned backwards, arms wound around his neck. “Oh, I think he likes you.” Ryeowook mouthed along Heechul’s jaw and onto his neck. “Can he?” Heechul nodded once. “Go on, little one. You can bite.”

Ryeowook obeyed, bit down and drew blood. Heechul whimpered, but then the noise transformed into a broken moan, as Ryeowook rolled his hips down. Hakyeon laughed softly, put a gentle hand on Ryeowook’s waist. “He’s adorable.” Heechul hummed quietly, pulled Ryeowook far enough away that he could kiss him, tongue poking out to lick blood off of Ryeowook’s lips. “You can bite him back, if you’d like.”

Ryeowook made a quiet noise, caught Heechul’s gaze. “Will you?”

Heechul leaned forward, licked a stripe up Ryeowook’s neck, before he bit down. Ryeowook let out a stuttered noise that sounded like a cross between a moan and a whine. Before long, Hakyeon’s wrist was pressed against Ryeowook’s mouth, and he bit down. Hakyeon nuzzled at Ryeowook’s hair, free hand sliding along his arm. “Breathe, Ryeowook. Breathe for me.” Ryeowook sucked in a sharp breath, through his nose, a quiet sobbing noise in his throat when he exhaled. “There you go, darling, just breathe and drink.”

Ryeowook was trembling now, and his eyes had just fallen shut when Heechul pulled back, and Hakyeon moved his hand away. “Shh, little one, hush, it’s alright.” Heechul was nosing along Ryeowook’s collarbone, now, teeth scraping gently over the skin every once and a while. “Mm, he needs to sleep.” Heechul hummed quietly in affirmation, but didn’t move. “Heechul, let’s leave the kid alone while he sleeps.” After a moment, Ryeowook felt himself being shifted off of their laps, and onto the bed, where he was practically buried underneath a stack of blankets. He would have complained, about being left alone, but before he could argue, he had fallen asleep.

***

Ryeowook spent a lot of his first year drunk on blood, completely dazed and unaware of anything that happened around him. The only time he was ever aware of what was going on was when Heechul or Hakyeon, or sometimes both, pulled him into bed, touching, and kissing, pushing Ryeowook off of cliffs that he hadn’t realized existed. He liked Heechul better – the younger vampire let Ryeowook cling, soft and desperate and begging, would trail kisses all over his skin. Hakyeon was different, Hakyeon was all bruises and fangs and no mercy, not ever. Hakyeon never stayed, either, even when Ryeowook asked him to.

“Little one.”

Ryeowook looked up quickly, eyes wide, when Hakyeon spoke. The elder crossed the room quickly. “Hakyeon, what-” Hakyeon silenced him with a look, then sank down into Ryeowook’s lap. He draped himself over the younger vampire, pressed his face into Ryeowook’s neck, inhaled. “Is something wrong?”

“Heechul’s found someone that he wants to turn. Apparently the poor thing is dying. They’ll be here soon, and I don’t want you to come upstairs. In fact, little one, I don’t want you to leave this room. I know your control has gotten better, but it’s not perfect, and Heechul tells me that there’s a lot of blood.” Ryeowook nodded slowly, then paused.

“Wait, is he-”

“I don’t know. I don’t think he’s replacing you, little one, I really don’t, but you’d have to speak to him, to be sure. But it can wait, Ryeowook, it really can.” Hakyeon sniffed gently at Ryeowook’s neck, before he pulled away. “You need to feed, before they get home.” Ryeowook nodded, leaned forward, bit down on Hakyeon’s neck. “Good boy.”

When Ryeowook pulled back, he gazed at Hakyeon for a long moment. “I want to see.”

“Absolutely not.”

“But _Hakyeon_!” Hakyeon didn’t look phased. “I’ll be good, I’m fine, I’m under control, I won’t lose it, I promise, I won’t hurt anyone.”

Hakyeon sighed heavily, slid his hands under Ryeowook’s jaw. “If you do, if you slip, I’ll kill you. You know that.” Ryeowook nodded quickly. “Heechul won’t be happy to see you there.”

“I don’t care.”


	6. burn

“Is he awake?”

“Even if he’s not, Ryeowook, he can hear you.”

A slapping sound, followed by a whine, and then Minseok opened his eyes. All of the others in the room fell silent as soon as he did that, and then were was a hand on his arm. “Ryeowook, go get Hakyeon.” A long silence. “Now!” He snapped the word out, and Minseok flinched away, but before he got far, he was being pulled into a seated position. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Who-”

“My name is Heechul. I’m a vampire. You were dying, and we turned you to save your life.” Minseok struggled against his grip, but eventually went still, leaning heavily against Heechul. “You need to feed, or you’re going to die.” There were gentle hands on his waist, and then another person had joined him, another pair of hands on his shoulders. 

“Princess, Ryeowook wants an apology.” Heechul shook his head quickly. “Go.”

Minseok was shifted over into the other person’s lap, and he heard Heechul leave. There were hands on his body, holding him in place. “Bite me.” He raised his hand, until his wrist was pressed against Minseok’s mouth. “Go on, darling. Feed.” Minseok shook his head, pressed his lips tightly together, turned away. “Ah, no, darling, don’t be like that.” Minseok hissed quietly, now trying to pull away from the person holding him. “Breathe.” Minseok sucked in a sharp breath, then flinched when the action intensified the burn in his throat. “Focus on me, darling, on me.” Minseok was trembling, hands tight on the vampire’s arms. “My name is Hakyeon. I’m going to help you, darling, if you’ll let me. I need you to feed, if you don’t, darling, you’ll die.”

***

Minseok was soft, and Heechul loved him. Even for a vampire, Minseok was remarkably…well, squishy, in Heechul’s grip. Most of them were sharp lines, stiff shoulders, tight muscles, but Minseok was different, and Heechul _adored_ him. He had a particular liking for how Minseok got when he was lost in a blood-daze, when he was so pliant, so willing to let Heechul hold him, touch him. They practically never left each other’s side, always together, and always touching. Minseok was happy to cling, happy to let Heechul touch him, whenever, and however, the elder wanted to.

Ryeowook hated them both. He was sulking, because he felt replaced, and honestly, Hakyeon didn’t blame him. He was perfectly justified, in that feeling; Heechul had been ignoring him ever since Minseok had woken up. Ryeowook had taken to making his way into Hakyeon’s arms. He had stopped crying in front of his maker, but Hakyeon could still catch the sight of tears clinging to long eyelashes on those days when Heechul was found fucking Minseok in semi-public places. There was a lot of anger, in Ryeowook’s heart, and Hakyeon loved it.

After about a year, of Ryeowook sulking, clinging to Hakyeon, hanging on to his every word because _at least he’s not ignoring me_ , he finally snapped. He had caught Minseok and Heechul screwing in the library, and something had shattered in his chest.

“Could you two take it somewhere else?”

His voice came out far more aggressive than he had anticipated, and he almost flinched at his own intensity. But then Heechul was gazing at him, eyes narrow. Ryeowook could see his fangs, little lumps under his closed mouth, and he bit down on the inside of his cheek. “This is just as much my home as it is yours.”

Ryeowook rolled his eyes. “Yes, but unfortunately for you, _some of us_ actually have some decency and self-respect.” Heechul gasped, though Ryeowook knew it was for dramatic effect. “You really feel the need to do that in here?”

Heechul smiled, but didn’t move. “Darling, are you jealous?” Ryeowook’s jaw clenched. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch. You aren’t my only priority.” Those words stung, but Ryeowook forced his face blank. “You can go now, little one.” After a moment, Ryeowook turned slowly, started towards the door, and then stopped. “Ryeowook. Go.”

Ryeowook had grabbed Heechul by the back of his neck and thrown him across the room before the vampire realized that he had moved. And before long, Ryeowook had pinned him in place, holding him down, fangs bared. “Do you hate me?” Heechul didn’t answer. “Tell me, if you do, so that I can stop crying when I think that you do. Heechul, please, I hate thinking that maybe you still love me, because if I think that, then I don’t understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.” He realized, now, that Hakyeon had joined them, and that Minseok had slipped out of the room, but he really didn’t care. “Please.”

Hakyeon put a hand on Ryeowook’s shoulder, pulled him to his feet. “Breathe.” Ryeowook obeyed, sobbed quietly, clung to Hakyeon’s arm. “Go upstairs. Wait for me; I’ll come to you.” Ryeowook nodded quickly, slipped out of the room. “Heechul, I need to have a word with you. Now.”

***

“I’m sorry.”

Ryeowook stilled, didn’t look at Minseok. “You’re not. You enjoy his attention, don’t lie, I know that much. I’m not stupid, Minseok.”

Minseok whined quietly. “No, I’m sorry that you…feel the way you do, about it. I didn’t realize how much you were hurting, because of me.” Ryeowook stiffened, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry that it hurt you, that I made him hurt you.” And then there was a body, pressed up against his, and Ryeowook was tight with anger, but he simultaneously wanted to kiss the vampire behind him. “I didn’t know that it would hurt you as much as it did.”

Ryeowook turned, then, to look at Minseok, gaze dark, and angry. Minseok whined, flinched away, but Ryeowook caught his jaw in his hand, pulled him forward. “You stupid baby vampire. You have no idea…no idea how much you mean to him. How much he loves you.” Minseok’s eyes widened, and Ryeowook choose to ignore the fear and tears he saw in them. “He used to love me. I used to be his favorite, and now he’s replaced me. He doesn’t give two shits about me. I could go out and let the hunters kill me, and he wouldn’t care.”

With those words, Ryeowook’s tears fell, and he released Minseok, spun on his heel, and walked away quickly, leaving the youngest standing in the hallway, alone, crying, shaking.

***

Ryeowook had woken up with Minseok curled up against his side, face pressed against his neck, breathing quietly, hand tangled in the elder’s hair. “Why are you here?” Minseok shrugged. “Go away. Get out. Leave me alone.”

“No. You’re upset, and I want to help.”

“Well, you can’t.”

Minseok hummed softly, crawled to sit on top of Ryeowook, nosed along his jaw line. “You’re pretty. And I love you. I like your…everything, I like the way your mind feels, I liked the way your hand felt on my face, I _want_ you, please.” Ryeowook growled quietly, but made no attempt to throw Minseok off. “Please.”

“Spoiled brat. First you get Heechul, now you want me? You’re insatiable.”

“I know.” Minseok pressed his face into Ryeowook’s neck, pressed a kiss to his throat. “I still want you.” His hands found Ryeowook’s wrists, and his fingers traced gently over smooth skin. “I’ll be anything you want me to be, Ryeowook, just give me a chance, _please_.”

With those words, Ryeowook pushed Minseok off, rolled them over so he was pinning the younger in place. “Anything I want?” Minseok nodded, trying to pull his hands out of Ryeowook’s grip. “ _Anything_?”


	7. bite

Ryeowook hated himself. He hated how easily Minseok’s turning had gotten to him, he hated feeling like the petulant, spoiled, brat that he knew would bother Hakyeon and Heechul, but honestly, he couldn’t help himself. It hurt, the way Heechul was treating him, and he knew that Hakyeon didn’t have time for him, and that hurt too. So he had taken to slipping out, late at night, distracting himself with things that didn’t matter, wouldn’t last, but at least they paid attention to him. His last distraction had been a pretty little human named Luna, but it had turned out that she was a hunter, and that hadn’t gone well, not for her.

“You look bored.”

Ryeowook turned, found a human standing behind him, smelling too sweet, too _edible_ , for it to be entirely natural. “I am.” He looked over the human quickly, eyes narrow. “What’s it to you?” That was rude, harsh, cold, and he hated that, but he knew that he couldn’t afford to be emotional, not right now, not when he was hurting this much. The human smiled at him, bright and sunny, and inclined his head, just enough that Ryeowook could see his neck. The skin there was pale, but Ryeowook’s eyes picked up quickly on the raised, white scars. “Ah.” The human didn’t speak, simply gazed at Ryeowook. “You disgust me.” He turned away, but the human spoke again, grabbing his attention.

“Why? Because I let others feed on me?” Ryeowook didn’t grace that with a response. “Because I’m not afraid to get what I want, to do what makes me happy, what makes me feel good?” Ryeowook didn’t answer, mouth twisted in a grimace. He knew where the human was going. “You have a reputation, you know. You’ve bedded nearly every human in this town, and yet you keep coming back. People are asking why, but I think the answer’s pretty obvious.” Ryeowook finally met his gaze, eyebrow raised. “You’re lonely, you’re desperate. Someone’s rejected you, and you’re trying not to think about it.” No answer. “I’m right, aren’t I? I’m right. You’re alone, and hurt, and you need a distraction.” Ryeowook jerked his head in a way that looked like he was agreeing. “You know, I’ve been told that I’m very distracting.”

Quick as a flash, Ryeowook had the human’s jaw in his hand, and had pulled him close, face neutral, eyes dangerous. “Careful, little one. You might make me think that you’re offering yourself up.” The human made a quiet noise, but didn’t speak. “You might make me think that I can take you.”

“Do you hear me telling you that you can’t?” The human looked scared, like he was trying to convince Ryeowook that he wasn’t, and was failing, quite epically. “Go ahead.”

Ryeowook gazed at him for a long moment, before he released the human, stepped backwards. “Look at you. You think you’re so brave.” He grabbed the human by his upper arm, and led him, not at all gently, out of the building. “You think you’re _so_ special, don’t you, you think you can make a lasting impression.” He pinned the human to the wall, faces inches apart, breathing hard, Ryeowook’s eyes boring into the human’s wide gaze. “What if I tell you no?”

“Please don’t.”

“You want me to use you as a distraction, you think it didn’t occur to me that you’re using me just as much as I’m using you? You think I’m blind, you think I can’t see the bite marks all over you, you think I can’t _smell_ all of those other vampires on you? I might be desperate, little one, but I’m not desperate enough to eat someone else’s dirty leftovers.” Without another word, he spun on his heel, and started down the street, but stopped when he heard the human speak again.

“I can get you blood-drunk.”

_I’ll let you turn me, if you want._

Ryeowook froze in place, for so long that the human was able to walk to him, put a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned slowly, a strange look in his eyes. “You are the single stupidest being I have ever had the misfortune to come across.” The human whined quietly. “What’s your name?”

“Joonmyun.”

Ryeowook sighed softly, ran a hand through his hair. Without speaking, he slid his hands under Joonmyun’s jaw, looked him in the eyes. “Listen to me, and listen very carefully.” Joonmyun nodded quickly, eyes wide under Ryeowook’s intense gaze. “You’re going to do everything that I tell you to do. If you cross me, I will kill you. Am I clear?” Joonmyun nodded again, shaking, whining. “Come with me.”

***

Ryeowook had gotten about halfway to their destination when Hakyeon stopped him, caught his arm in a vicelike grip, and yanked him to a halt. He didn’t speak, when Ryeowook ripped himself away, placed himself in between Hakyeon and Joonmyun. He didn’t look angry, though, he just looked thoroughly ashamed. “I’m sorry.” Hakyeon raised an eyebrow. “You’re angry.” Joonmyun looked Hakyeon dead in the eye, heart steady. He wasn’t afraid of Hakyeon. The vampire’s eyes raked over Joonmyun, resting on his forearm and his neck and Ryeowook’s grip on his elbow for a moment before settling on his face.

“Ryeowook, would you care to explain yourself?”

Ryeowook shuffled his feet, grip on Joonmyun tightening. “He’s pretty. He offered. I want him.” Hakyeon made a quiet, skeptical noise in his throat. “He told me I was allowed to, Hakyeon.” Hakyeon rolled his eyes. “He’s a feeder. I’m bored.”

“What did he promise you?”

“He said he could get me blood-drunk.” Hakyeon sighed heavily, closed his eyes, exasperated.

“Is that really what this is about?” Ryeowook whined softly, didn’t answer outright. “Listen, little one, I’m sorry about what he did to you, but you know that he’s his own person, and he can make his own choices.” A soft noise from Ryeowook’s throat, and Joonmyun pressed a hand against the base of his spine. “If you want to get drunk, little one, you know I can help you.” Ryeowook shook his head quickly. “How long has it been, since the last time you dropped?”

“Five years.”

Hakyeon cocked his head to the side in thought, and then his gaze flitted over to Joonmyun once more. “Are you sure that all you want is to get drunk, little one?” After a moment, Ryeowook shook his head. “Really? Then what is it you wanted?”

Ryeowook sighed quietly, avoiding Hakyeon’s gaze. “I want him. He told me that I could, I heard it.” Hakyeon ran a hand over his face, exhaling heavily. “Please, Hakyeon, if Heechul can have Minseok-”

“Fine, fine, _fine_.”

Ryeowook smiled, bright, and threw his arms around Hakyeon’s neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Hakyeon sighed, pressed his lips together, a gentle hand on Ryeowook’s waist. “Can I feed on him first, please?”

“Yes, fine, little one.”

Ryeowook stayed where he was for a moment longer, before he pulled back. Almost as soon as there was enough space, Joonmyun had stepped up to his side, put an arm around Ryeowook’s waist. “Can we go home now?”

“Yes.”

***

“He’s pretty.” A long silence. “Stop laughing at me, Heechul. He’s pretty.” A quiet laugh, and then hands were creeping up Joonmyun’s legs. “I love his face.” Gentle fingers, on Joonmyun’s face, and then soft lips were pressed to his forehead. “Can he feed on me?”

“I think not.”

“But-”

“Minseok.” Another kiss was pressed to Joonmyun’s forehead. “You’re new to this, the smell of your blood may very well set you off.”

“Even if it’s my blood?”

The one sitting on Joonmyun pressed closer to him. “Yes, Minseok. I won’t put him at risk like that. You’re right, he’s pretty, I’d hate to lose him.”

“So why can I be in the room?”

“Because then we have two others in between you and him.” After a moment, Minseok crawled off of Joonmyun, and he was quickly replaced by another. “This is the first time I’ve allowed Heechul to feed a newborn, darling, so perhaps in a few years.” Then there were hands, soft and gentle, on Joonmyun’s face. “Wake up, sweet Joonmyun.”

Joonmyun’s eyes blinked open, and he whined when he found Heechul gazing down at him. His head whipped to the side, and then he froze, when he found Ryeowook’s gaze, the vampire standing beside Minseok, grip tight and controlling on the younger’s arm. He shot a tight smile at Joonmyun, but there was a strange look in his eyes, something that made Joonmyun look away. His eyes found Heechul again. “What-”

“Shh, hush.” With gentle hands, Heechul pulled Joonmyun into a seated position. “You’re familiar with vampires, and biting.” Joonmyun nodded, ran his tongue over the tips of his fangs. Heechul tipped his head to the side, pointed at one particular spot on his neck. “Go on.”

After a moment, Joonmyun leaned forward, sank his teeth into Heechul’s neck, bit down.

“Ah, good boy. Good boy.” Heechul threaded his fingers into Joonmyun’s hair, rubbing gentle circles into his scalp. Joonmyun hummed quietly as he fed, hands fisting in Heechul’s shirt. After a moment, he felt another body join them on the bed. “He took longer than Minseok, to wake up.”

“Yes.” Then there were lips, gentle and soft, on Joonmyun’s neck, sucking gently, but no fangs. “He tasted good, when he was human. I wonder…” Ryeowook’s voice trailed off. “Hakyeon-”

“Yes.”

Ryeowook smiled, bit down gently at the juncture of Joonmyun’s neck and shoulder, drawing blood. Joonmyun whined, arched, released Heechul’s neck, pulling the elder closer to him. “ _Hurts_.” After a moment, Heechul raised his wrist to Joonmyun’s mouth, and he bit down again, a soft noise coming from his throat.


	8. mine

“When a human turns,” Hakyeon paused, finger circling the rim of his glass as he gazed at the human seated across from him, “it’s…painful. Excruciating. The venom in our fangs, it burns up everything living inside of you, rips your life and your breath away from you.” He tipped his head to the side in thought. “Some – most – of those who attempt it don’t make it through. It destroys you, momentarily, before it rebuilds you.” Hakyeon’s voice had gone soft, and the human across from him leaned forward, to catch his next words. “Most of those who survive don’t scream, don’t make noise.” Hakyeon’s finger stopped its movement, eyes falling to rest on the fire burning in the room.

“The venom,” the human paused, looked hesitant to finish his question. “why is it necessary? Why do you have it?”

Hakyeon smiled softly. “It makes your life easier, when a vampire bites you. After the first sting of fangs, the venom gets put to work. You have to die, before it can destroy anything, so while you’re still alive, still being fed on, it…it works as an anesthetic, of sorts. Numbs everything. Drugs you, essentially.” His face smoothed back into neutrality. “That’s how feeders become addicted to the bite.”

“Fascinating.” The human’s voice was dry, and it made Hakyeon smile again. “So it wouldn’t hurt, until I was actually dead?” Hakyeon nodded once, hand returning to the glass on the table beside him. He crossed one leg over the other, still not looking at the human. “How does it…work? When a human gets turned, I mean. How does a vampire turn someone?” Hakyeon hummed softly, looked the human dead in the eyes.

“Careful, Jongdae. I might start thinking that you want me to turn you.” Jongdae smiled tightly at him, but the answer to the unspoken question was obvious, in his eyes. “If a vampire wanted to make a child – that’s why we call them our makers, because they _made_ us into what we are – they would take them, and bite them.” he paused, leaned forward just enough that he could reach out and touch one particular spot on Jongdae’s neck, for a split second, before pulling backwards. “Right there is the best spot, that’s your life vein, it’s where we can draw the most blood the fastest.” He leaned backwards, face vanishing into the shadows once more. “They would drain them, entirely, take everything, and then, when the human has nothing left to give, we stop. And then we wait, and let the venom, and fate, decide the outcome.”

Jongdae’s breath seemed to have caught in his throat, as he gazed at Hakyeon. “And if they don’t wake up?”

“We leave them. If they’re dead, they’re dead, Jongdae, there’s no way around it. Last second turnings are rare – if they don’t have venom in them when they pass, or if the venom is too strong for them, they die, and that’s it.” Hakyeon picked up his glass, examined it for a second, then looked at Jongdae again. “Are you worried that I’d leave you, if you even managed to convince me to turn you? Are you worried that you’d wake up alone? Because I can assure you, Jongdae, that if I decide to make you part of my family, you won’t be. I don’t leave my family behind.” He leaned backwards, uncrossed his legs. “Questions?”

“Will you turn me?”

Hakyeon smiled. “If you can convince me that it would be a good idea. That you’d be valuable. That I wouldn’t regret it.” Jongdae laughed quietly. “I already know you’re not a hunter, sweetheart, that’s not my concern.”

“How did you-”

“I can see it.” Hakyeon leaned forward again, motioned Jongdae towards him. He tapped his fingers twice on Jongdae’s temple, before he pulled back. “I can read everything, right there. Like an open book.” Jongdae looked absolutely shocked by that statement, and Hakyeon smiled once more at him, before he rose to his feet. “Regardless, sweetheart, if you can convince me that turning you is in my best interests, of course I’ll do it.” He paused. “The only problem is that there’s not much that I truly _need_ from anyone.” He circled around Jongdae, and then placed his hands on the human’s shoulders. “So, sweetheart,” He leaned down, mouth beside Jongdae’s ear. “Convince me.”

***

“It’s been an hour.”

“I know, Ryeowook, thank you.” The vampire whined softly, pressed his face into Hakyeon’s shoulder, mumbled out a soft apology. “I’m not angry, little one.” He ran a hand through Ryeowook’s hair, pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Give him five more minutes. Then we can go home, if it doesn’t start by then.” Ryeowook nodded slowly, nosed his way into the crook of Hakyeon’s neck. “Oh, go on.” Hakyeon tipped his head backwards, far enough that Ryeowook could skin his fangs into the skin there, drawing blood.

When he pulled back, Hakyeon looked mildly upset, but he didn’t say anything about it to Ryeowook. “Time to go.”

***

Heechul was dragged out of his hunt when he heard the soft whimpers, smelled vampire, smelled blood, but it wasn’t any that he had ever encountered before. That was where he had found the kid, curled on the floor, what Heechul could assume was his blood smeared across his neck, gasping for breath. Heechul had been tempted to walk away, but, he realized, that if this kid woke up alone, he’d have no one, he’d probably get sucked into a crazy bender, of some sort, and a lot of people would end up dead. That would attract more hunters, as if Heechul didn’t have to deal with them already. He stepped closer, crouched down beside the kid, and put a hand on his forehead.

The appearance of Hakyeon’s face at the forefront of the kid’s mind shocked Heechul. That had been rather…unexpected, but Heechul didn’t question it. He leaned down, ran his nose along the kid’s throat, inhaled. Oh. That was definitely Hakyeon that he was smelling. Heechul sighed quietly, pulled backwards. “Alright.” The vampire whined softly, tried to curl closer to Heechul. “Open your eyes.” The kid obeyed, though it was clear that even that simply motion was a struggle. He was dying, then, and would go soon if he didn’t feed. “What’s your name, kid?”

“J-J-Jongdae.”

His voice was quiet, shaky, broken, and Heechul could see tears in his eyes, threatening to spill. “You’re hurting.” A slow nod. Heechul pressed his lips together, slid his arms underneath Jongdae’s elbows, and pulled him into a seated position. Jongdae whined softly, but didn’t otherwise complain. “Go on, Jongdae, sleep. I’ll take care of you.”

***

“Where did you find him?” A long silence. “And how do you know he’s yours?” Quiet words, that Jongdae couldn’t hear. “So he was an accident?” A hum of affirmation. “I was an accident, as a human, did you know that?” More quiet words. “He’s pretty.”

“You think they’re all pretty, Min.”

A quiet laugh, and then movement. Jongdae could hear them standing around him, could hear their quiet breathing. “Minseok, would you like to have your turn?” A long silence, and then one of them – Minseok? – had crawled up beside Jongdae, and had a hand on his face. Jongdae’s eyes fluttered open, and his gaze found the face of whoever was sitting beside him. “Ah, there he is.” The words came from behind Minseok, as he helped Jongdae into a seated position.

“I like him.”

“Of course you do, Joonmyun.”

“But I want to _fuck_ him.”

Those words grabbed Jongdae’s attention, and he gazed at the speaker for a long moment, before Minseok turned his head so they could face each other again. “What’s your name?”

“Jongdae.”

Minseok grinned, and, after a moment, Jongdae smiled back, though by the look on Minseok’s face, the pain in his eyes was obvious. After a moment, he moved his hand, to cup the back of Jongdae’s neck, and guided him forward. “You’re very pretty, Jongdae.” A soft hum of acknowledgement, from Jongdae. “Go on. Bite.”

***

Heechul had found Joonmyun crying, the first night it had happened, curled around Ryeowook’s body, sobbing his eyes out as he clung to the elder. Heechul was almost tempted to copy him, but he was the oldest, he had to be the strongest, he couldn’t afford to break down, not now. He had simply put a hand on Joonmyun’s shoulder, and guided both of his brothers to bed, far away enough from Hakyeon’s room that they couldn’t hear the screaming. Minseok had clung to Heechul’s arm, desperate and scared, but not wanting to leave Heechul alone, despite the elder’s insistence that he was fine.

It was painful, to listen to, but – and Heechul was loathe to admit it – it got easier, as it went on. He couldn’t stop it, couldn’t do anything to stop Hakyeon from what he did. All they could do, all _Heechul_ could do, was block it out, and ignore it, protect the others, and do what he could to take care of Jongdae when he wasn’t in there.

Heechul hated it, hated knowing what his maker was doing to his…his _brother_ , but what he hated the most was that there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about, not when it was happening.

When he wasn’t, though, when Hakyeon didn’t have his hands on the poor kid, he would nose his way into Heechul’s arms, clinging and stroking at pale skin, holding back tears because he knew, he _knew_ how much Hakyeon hated tears.


	9. silence

“You’ve been feeding the kid too much.” Hakyeon looked up at Heechul once, before he looked back down at the paper on his desk. “ _Hakyeon_ , too many people have been killed, have gone missing, the hunters are angry, and rumor is that one of the representatives from the Council has been sent down here to investigate. You _know_ we can’t get involved in something like that, and we both know how it ended the last time they came down here.” Heechul came forward, stopped in front of Hakyeon’s desk. “Look at me, Hakyeon, please. I don’t want anyone to get hurt, I don’t want the kids getting hurt.” Hakyeon didn’t so much as pause. “Stop ignoring me, Hakyeon, _please_.”

Hakyeon finally looked at him, and Heechul flinched when he spotted the glint of anger in Hakyeon’s eyes. He moved two steps backwards, automatic, head bowed. “You think I haven’t been contacted by the Council already? You think I don’t know exactly what’s going on? Newborns take time, take energy, take _blood_ , if we want them to live. I won’t kill him. The loss of human life is a product of that particular reaction, a reaction that is necessary for our kind to survive.”

“Hakyeon, we both know that he’s taken more than 50 times the blood that any of the others have had for their turning.” Hakyeon scoffed quietly, looked away. “Every time you drain him, you have to feed him more, and you know that he doesn’t have the control to leave a human alive. Every time you feed him, he kills, and that’s one more red dot that pops up on the hunters’ radar.” Heechul pressed his lips together, glanced over his shoulder at the door. “You know that Ryeowook, and Minseok, and Joonmyun, and I are all more than capable of controlling ourselves. Jongdae isn’t. You keep him drunk, so he can’t fight you, but in the end, the only real thing that changes is the human population.”

Hakyeon had a hand around Heechul’s throat before the vampire could do anything. “Shut up.” Heechul whined softly, frozen in Hakyeon’s grip. “You are the most ungrateful piece of shit I’ve ever met, do you hear me?”

“’m not ungrateful, Hakyeon, please.” The elder laughed quietly, cruel. “You know I love you. You know I’d never betray you. Hakyeon, I’m trying to keep you -- _us_ \-- safe. My family matters to me, and you matter to me.” Hakyeon cocked his head to the side in thought, smiled softly at Heechul. “Please don’t be angry with me.” Heechul reached up, put a hand on Hakyeon’s wrist, and pulled his hand away. He stepped forward, and pressed a gentle kiss to Hakyeon’s mouth. “I love you, you know. I love all of you, and I just want you to be safe. I know that you can take care of yourself, but they can’t, not yet.” Hakyeon nodded once, put a hand on Heechul’s waist, nosed his way into the younger’s hair. “The kids…”

“Need to feed tonight, I know. We’ll take them.” Hakyeon mouthed gently at Heechul’s hairline, before he pulled away. “I’ll let you know, when it’s time to go.”

***

Joonmyun had a hand on Heechul’s wrist, soft and gentle, his free hand curled around Minseok’s elbow. They were standing on a roof, waiting for the others to reach them. Heechul had spotted a human, not five minutes ago, and, while he may not be moving very quickly, he was still moving, and if he got inside before Hakyeon arrived…well, that might be a problem. No one was out, not this late in December, it was freezing cold, even the vampires could tell. “Are they almost here?” Minseok shrugged, and Heechul sighed quietly. “I’m almost tempted to go after him ourselves, but we all know that Heechul would cry traitor before we even had a chance.” Joonmyun hummed softly, nodded, pressed his face into Heechul’s shoulder. “I know, love, I know.”

“I’m _hungry_ , Heechul.” Demanding, too, it would seem, but Heechul understood where it was coming from. They had hesitated to feed, from the humans, this month, because the hunters were on such high alert, after Hakyeon’s shenanigans. “It _hurts_. It’s been a _month_ , Heechul, a month since we fed from a human. I know it’s not a problem for you, but _Heechul_ -”

“I know.” Heechul’s hand slid around Joonmyun’s waist, and he shared a look with Minseok, who hadn’t moved, stony. “They’re here.”

Sure enough, Hakyeon had appeared beside Heechul, Ryeowook at his shoulder, Jongdae clinging to his sleeve. When they came to a halt, Jongdae slipped away from Hakyeon, and pressed himself into Heechul’s side, nosing into his neck. Hakyeon caught Heechul’s eye, inclined his head, and Heechul nodded. Without a second thought, Heechul pulled away from Joonmyun and Jongdae, and stepped off of the roof. “I’ll go left. You go right, with Joonmyun. Ryeowook, Minseok, up. Jongdae, with me.” Without any hesitation, the vampires split apart, Hakyeon’s hand on Jongdae’s waist, pulling him along. Heechul put a gentle hand on Joonmyun’s face, before he turned on his heel.

“Are you alright?” Heechul shrugged, then set off at a run, Joonmyun following at his heels. When they came to a halt, at the end of a street – Heechul could see and hear the human, not far from them – Joonmyun put a hand on his shoulder. “I love you.” Heechul didn’t answer, as he walked forward, eyes on the pair of vampires he could see on the other end. Joonmyun followed, allows Heechul to lead him. They circled around the human, gave him a wide enough berth that he wouldn’t be alerted to their presence, and joined Hakyeon. Heechul stiffened, when he spotted the way the human held himself. He had a purpose, he had a stake, he wasn’t out here for no reason, he was a hunter.

“What are you doing out so late, little hunter?” Hakyeon’s voice was soft, gentle, but Heechul was quick to recognize that particular tone, so predatory, so dangerous. He knew what it felt like, to be on the receiving end of that. The hunter hadn’t answered, his jaw clenched, spine stiff. “Come on, sweetheart, you can tell me. I won’t hurt you. Just tell me.” The hunter shook his head, stubborn. _Bad move, sweet little human_. “Aww, you’re no fun.”

“Hakyeon, stop _talking_ , I just wanna _feed_.” Jongdae was desperate, so desperate, and Heechul almost looked at him, as he watched the hunter stiffen further, grip tightening on his stake. So he knew, he knew that they were here to feed on him. He knew what they were, he knew what they could do, and he probably knew not to try and run. That was good.

“Jongdae, that’s enough.” Hakyeon’s voice was still quiet, soft, but Jongdae looked thoroughly cowed. Within seconds, Ryeowook and Minseok had joined them, Ryeowook putting a gentle hand on Jongdae’s forearm, a warning, a reassurance. “Heechul, is there something you want to say?” Heechul bit his lip, looked quickly between the hunter and Hakyeon, and his maker raised an eyebrow.

“He’s pretty.” Heechul caught it immediately, when the hunter started trembling. Oh, he didn’t like that at all, that much was obvious. He hated what Heechul was implying. “Hakyeon, I-” Heechul cut off, stepped forward. The hunter’s grip tightened further, so tight that Heechul was sure that the skin on his knuckles was going to split, soon. “I want him.”

“ _No_.” The hunter spun on his heel, voice hot, dangerous, angry, and Heechul almost flinched away. It was new, to hear something that intense, from a human. Usually their fear paralyzed them, held them soft and pliant and still. “If you’re going to eat me, then eat me, but-”

Hakyeon silenced him, when he spoke quietly. “He’s adorable.” Within seconds, Heechul was pressed up against him, surprising enough that the human released his stake. and Joonmyun was behind him, holding his hips in place so he couldn’t run, but he could still fight, and he did, growling and hissing, biting and scratching at any skin he could find on the vampires, and then there was a hand, reaching for his hair, probably to yank his head back, and he grabbed Hakyeon’s neck, fingernails biting into skin, blood drawn, and then he dragged his nails down, leaving long stripes of blood in their wake. Hakyeon growled, and Jongdae whimpered, straining against Ryeowook’s grip. “Ryeowook.” He looked up quickly, caught Hakyeon’s eye. “Get Jongdae out of here.” The pair vanished, almost instantaneously, and Heechul saw, in the human’s mind, the release of pressure, but it wasn’t enough. “Now, little hunter, calm down.” The hunter snarled, lunged, but Joonmyun had hands on his elbows, yanking him backwards, holding him still. “Minseok.” Hakyeon made a motion with his hand, and Minseok stepped forward, took Hakyeon’s place as he pulled backwards. Minseok made to grab the human’s jaw, but the hunter bit down on his palm, drawing blood.

“Let me _go_.”

He was angry, so angry, and part of Heechul wanted to obey, wanted to release the poor thing, just so he could revel in that intensity, but he knew how Hakyeon would react. After a moment, Hakyeon stood beside Heechul, fangs bared. They shared a look, and Heechul nodded once. Hakyeon turned to the human, and as soon as he caught sight of Hakyeon’s fangs, he struggled harder, even when Hakyeon bit down on his throat. A scream left his lips, shrill and pained, and Heechul tried to look away, but found himself quite incapable. He only managed to pull his eyes away when the human went limp, dead.

***

“He’s screamed the most.”

It sounded like an errant thought, but, based on how much quiet whispering followed, it seemed to be a valid discussion point. After a few minutes, one voice spoke, louder than the others. “Well, he was turned unwillingly. And he did fight it, right down to the end. Right down until he literally couldn’t make another sound.”

The realization of what exactly was happening hit Jongin like a punch to the gut. In the back of his mind – the rest of him was focused on the pain – he remembered, remembered exactly what had happened…tonight? Last night? That night? He had been out hunting, nothing unusual, when a group of vampires – too many for him to fight – had grabbed him. They had wanted to eat him, he remembered, but one of them had stopped the others. Words had been exchanged – something about turning – and he had protested, and then, when they had grabbed him, fought.

“He’ll be our first hunter.”

That made Jongin panic. At some point, his screams transformed into whimpers, whines, sobs, and he rolled onto his side, curling to a ball, fingernails biting into his arms. He drew blood, and that seemed to cause a disruption, for the other vampires. Before he knew what was happening, there were hands on his arms, yanking them backwards, pinning him in place, legs trapping his hips against what he assumed was a mattress, one hand holding his wrists, the other pinning his shoulders down. He screamed, and the noise transitioned into a high pitched keening noise, which quickly became a sob. “Ryeowook, get Jongdae out of here.” A quiet word of affirmation. All Jongin heard was the door shutting, his focus almost entirely on the vampire sitting on him. “Alright, little hunter, I need you to relax.” Jongin growled, fighting against his grip, and with one particularly harsh movement, he managed to throw the vampire off of him. A loud crash followed, and then there was a hand in his hair, yanking him backwards. “Heechul, be careful.”

A snarl, right in Jongin’s ear, and he went still, paralyzed in his fear, as the other vampire came towards them. “We don’t want to hurt you, little hunter.”

“And I didn’t want this, did I?” The hand in his hair tightened, but Jongin didn’t stop. “I never wanted this; I’m not a _monster_ , not like you.”

The vampire grabbed him by the jaw, yanked him closer, the movement pulling him out of the other one’s – Heechul’s – grip. He whined, and then tried to yank out of his captor’s grip, to no avail. “Calm down.” The words were soft, quiet, but so much harsher than Jongin could have expected, and he shrank back, trying to pull away for a completely different reason. “Heechul, leave us alone.” After a moment, Heechul left, pulling whoever else had been in the room with him. The vampire leaned forward, completely ignoring Jongin’s fear, and he mouthed along his jaw, onto his ear, and down, where he bit softly on the skin beneath Jongin’s ear. He fell still, went completely pliant in the vampire’s grip, hands coming up to cling to his shirt. “Hush, darling, I know. I know. 

“Do you?" 

The words had probably originally intended to be an accusation, of sorts, but they held no heat now. Now, they came with tears and exhaustion. “Yes.” 

“How? How could you possibly…” 

“I can feel it.” 

Jongin realized, then, that the vampire holding him was right, he could _feel_ something, emotions, underneath his companion’s skin. “Hurts.”

“Yes." 

“Help me.” 

“Of course.” The vampire tipped his head back, and Jongin leaned forward, on complete instinct, fangs coming free, and he bit down. A quiet sigh left his companion’s lips, and Jongin bit harder, pulling more blood to the surface. “See, little hunter? We’ll get along just fine.”

***

Jongin was stubborn.

That was one of the first things that Heechul had realized about him, that he hadn’t been turned willingly, that he didn’t like this, not one bit, that he would rather be dead than be here, as a vampire. “Jonginnie, you have to feed. You can’t avoid it forever.” He didn’t respond, kept his gaze pinned on the mattress underneath him. “You know that you can’t starve yourself to death, right? You know it doesn’t work like that?” Jongin stiffened, nostrils flaring. “All that happens, when you starve yourself, is you eventually get so depraved that you can’t control yourself. You’ll end up losing yourself, and you’ll kill more humans that way than you ever will if you let us help you.” Jongin shook his head quickly. “I’ve never killed a human for blood. I’ve killed hunters, because they tried to kill me, but I’ve never lost control, because Hakyeon wouldn’t let me. He kept me on a tight leash, so that I didn’t hurt anyone.” Jongin sniffed quietly. “I’m trying to help you. What do you want to be, Jongin? Do you want to be like me, or do you want to be like the monsters that killed your parents?” 

Jongin went still, head whipping around to meet Heechul’s gaze. “How do you…How could you possibly know about that?” Heechul didn’t answer, and Jongin grabbed his shirt, pulled him forward. “No one knows about that. So how could you-” 

“You were blood-drunk.” Jongin’s jaw dropped, a soft gasp leaving his lips. “I’m sorry, I should have told you. Jongin. You…I asked, why you became a hunter, and you told me about your family, and then I asked what happened to them. You told me. You told me about the vampires. And then you let me look, you let me see, what happened to them.” Jongin whined quietly, trembling. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” 

Jongin looked away quickly, hand over his mouth. He seemed to be struggling to breathe, tears in his eyes. After a moment, his tears fell. “I…” He silenced himself, for a moment, before he tried again. “What happened to them?” 

“They’re dead.” Jongin sobbed quietly, looked away. “I killed them, when you showed me. All of them. I destroyed them.” After a long silence, Jongin climbed into Heechul’s lap. His hands were clinging, to Heechul’s shirt, and he mouthed at his shoulder. “Oh, sweetheart, I’ve got you, I’ve got you.” Jongin was crying, hard, and after a moment, he bit down on Heechul’s neck. “Good boy.” Heechul tipped his head backwards, and Jongin bit harder. “I’ll take care of you. I won’t let you become like them, you have my word.” 


	10. beauty

“You remember what I told you, the first time I gave you my blood?” Hakyeon pressed a gentle kiss to the back of Heechul’s neck, pushing his hair out of the way. “I’m giving you something that’s mine, and I _expect_ you to take care of my things.” Heechul didn’t respond, his hands pressed against the railing of the balcony. “And if you dare to disrespect me, princess, I’ll end you.” Hakyeon was unhappy, with their arrangement, but it was better than losing his eldest. “Keep the kids safe, keep them in line. And remember, princess,” he paused, nosed gently at Heechul’s shoulder. “that I have given you a gift, and I can take it back, whenever I want.”

“I know.” Heechul turned, in the cage of Hakyeon’s arms, looked him dead in the eyes. “I know. I’ll take care of it, of them. You don’t have to worry about me. I know what I’m doing, Hakyeon. I did learn from the best.” Hakyeon snorted. _Your flattery will get you nowhere_. “On the contrary. It’s gotten me everywhere, with you.” Hakyeon smiled at him, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Thank you. For everything.” He paused, bit his lip. “For turning me, and Ryeowook, and Minseok, and Joonmyun, and Jongdae, and Jongin. And for protecting us, and teaching us, and leading us, and giving us what we needed, and never leaving us. And also for giving me everything that you’ve given me. I…it means more than you know.” Hakyeon nodded slowly, leaned forward to press a kiss to Heechul’s jaw. “Hakyeon, I…”

Hakyeon cut him off. “No.” He put a hand on Heechul’s chest, right where his heart had been, when he was human. “Your pain, your emotions, they stay in here. You don’t let anyone see them. If you do, they will use it against you.” Heechul nodded quickly. “Take care of my family. If you don’t…well, Heechul, let it suffice to say that I hate to imagine the state of your pretty skin after I’d be finished.” Heechul nodded once more, straightened.

“I’ll be in touch.” He moved past Hakyeon, hesitating to pull his hand away, until Hakyeon stepped out from under it. “Hakyeon?”

“Heechul.”

“Thank you.” Hakyeon didn’t respond, simply turned to look out over the land again. “For letting them come with me. For letting them go.” When he didn’t get a response, he walked to the door, paused for a split second, before he stepped out of it, leaving Hakyeon alone.

Heechul made his way through the maze of hallways, down the stairs, and out the front doors, where his brothers – his family – were waiting for him. Joonmyun had a hand around Jongdae’s shoulders, was holding the younger close to his body. Ryeowook stood beside Minseok, Minseok’s hand on his elbow. Jongin was alone, trembling, but he relaxed when Heechul put a hand on his wrist, gentle and reassuring. “Let’s go home.”


End file.
